Strangely White
by Dicsi
Summary: Hotch and Emily are driving back to the hotel after interviewing a witness. What will happen?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: __This is actually inspired by the weather and traffic situation here in Holland today.. (terribly beautiful though). While I'm realising that I tend to write stories that involve snow a lot, I just had to write this lol! It came to mind and begged to be written!_

_This will probably be 2 or 3 chapters total.  
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_Enjoy! _

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds in any way. **_

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Strangely White  
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They were on their way back to the hotel after interviewing a witness. The radio clock told her it was 9.17pm at the moment and they were going too slow for her liking. She shifted in her seat a bit, putting her arms around her and lifting her shoulders as to keep warm. Which she knew was a trick of the mind and would only cause her to have a sore neck later. But she did it anyways, deciding to fool her mind into warm thoughts being better than thinking it was cold.

After leaving the witness' house at approximately 08.00pm they'd driven only a couple of miles when the world around them became white. Big snowflakes falling down slowly, covering the road in a thick soft blanket.

She looked at Hotch who was driving. Small puffs of air were leaving his mouth. His eyes focused on the road, concentrating on driving them back safely. The roads were ice and she'd felt the car slip a couple of times earlier. Thank God for Hotch being a skilled driver.

Their SUV was the only vehicle on the road. These types of places never held much traffic, except for some stray farmers who'd lived nearby. A farm was exactly the place they'd left over an hour earlier. Wyoming wasn't a state for a woman named Emily Prentiss. Though she'd enjoyed nature very much, she'd always been more of a city girl. After living in cities all over the world her whole life, she couldn't think of herself living somewhere else.

Looking out the window she sighed and thought back to the lives she had in those foreign countries. The places had made her into the person she was now. That and also the family she lived with in all those places. Or lived less with better to say.

After hearing her sigh Hotch turned to look at her.

"It's strangely peaceful isn't it?"

Being pulled out of her thoughts she looked at him startled.

"What?"

"The snow"

"Oh" Her eyes looked at what she could make out to be a road in front of them. "Yes it is".

She'd always thought of snow to cover what was really there. A nice layer of pure white, covering the bold roughness underneath.

A beautiful mask to cover the horrors if only for a little while.

"It certainly is"

Neither of them spoke again for a couple of minutes. A comfortable silence took over the slightly cold SUV, both of the people inside left to their thoughts. The song "All I Need" from a band called Air could be heard on the radio. The quiet voice of the singer coming out of the speakers.

Then suddenly the car moved to the right, catching both Hotch and Emily of guard. The wheels losing grip on the slippery asphalt, they slid towards a tree a couple of meters from where the road would be if it was visible.

They neared the tree quickly and Hotch was frantically moving the steering wheel to change their direction. Trying the brakes to find more grip, but it was of no avail.

It had all happened in a matter of seconds before they came to a halting stop. Five seconds was all it took for a car to almost slam into a tree. Looking at the tree left from her window Emily realized it had been close. The tree was only an arm away from where they'd ended up.

From the tree she looked back at Hotch. Their gazes meeting at the same time.

"Wow, that was close"

He let out the breath he'd been holding "Exactly my thoughts"

Still feeling the adrenaline running through his veins he turned his gaze back to his hands. The fact that he'd lost total control for a second there had frightened him. He should've focused better on the road. He had been careful , but driving in weather like this was always tricky. They both took a moment to recover from the shock. Emily was the first to speak.

" You okay?"

She looked at him with a questioning expression covering her features.

"Yeah, you?

"Yes. You think it's safe to drive further?"

At that Hotch let his eyes wander the road, looking through the front window. It had started snowing even harder than before. The flakes now coming down fast, making it hard to see anything outside. A big contrast with the way it had snowed earlier.

"I think we should wait until the weather clears out a bit. I don't want a situation like this to happen again". One near death experience was enough for today.

"Strangely peaceful snow, now was it?" came her quiet, sarcastic reply.

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_A/N2: Do you want to read more? Are you sure? Because there might be more coming up later!  
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	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Here is next chapter. One more coming up after this! Enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer:**__** I do not own Criminal Minds in any way. Just borrowing them again!**_

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Their car was standing still in the snow for about ten minutes now. Outside the white flakes were still coming down hard. Hotch had turned off the engine to spare energy for their drive back later. No sound came out of the speakers anymore and the lights were out. It'd left Hotch and Emily sitting quietly in the dark. The only sound heard, being that of their own breathing.

Hotch glanced at Emily. She was unconsciously picking her nails and seemed to be deep in thought again. What was up with her? Normally she would find something to chit chat about. He decided he wouldn't push her into talking about what was on her mind. Knowing her he knew that would have the direct opposite effect.

Thinking hard he tried to come up with a subject. Hotch wasn't one to start random conversations or begin small talk. He was good to listen or talk along with an occasional nod. Rarely starting a topic himself, the private man he was. It was something that went back to his childhood. He'd been a shy kid, holding things to himself rather than sharing it with others. Though he'd grown into a confidant man, he knew he still carried some of that child in him.

Aaron decided to just give it a go. He'd done it before with her, hadn't he? He could at least try and come up with something again. Anything that would keep her mind occupied for the moment would do.

"So.." he started to get her attention. And also to stretch time to come up with something to talk about.

Emily looked at him curiously.

"So, different environment than we're used to here out in the country, isn't it?"

That he couldn't come up with something better! Well, at least the 'environment talk' was better than the random 'weather talk '. Besides would the weather be a very oblivious topic considering the circumstances. Not that talking about the environment wasn't as oblivious. But at the moment he considered the chosen topic one step higher on the current 'small talk ladder'.

"It is", came her short answer. It was silent for a couple of moments longer, but before the atmosphere turned awkward she suddenly surprised him by continuing her sentence.

"I could never imagine myself living here though. It's nice being in an area like this for a while, but I need more movement around me. More people per square meter to keep me sane".

Interesting.

Her face turned his way in the dark. "What about you? Do you think you could live in a place like this?"

He thought for a moment before answering. "Well, I have lived in a place like this growing up. Although the town was a lot bigger than the one we came from. I know what it's like. Of course I could live in a place like this again, but I don't think I would. Not anymore at least".

"Oh, I never would have figured you having lived in an area like this. Farm boy or..?"

Hotch smiled at her assumption. "No, just a boy from a town in the South. The area is different though. The place almost has enough inhabitants to call it a small city nowadays".

Her eyes having adjusted to the dark, Emily noticed his dimples showing for just a moment.

"Nonetheless you still grew up as a small town boy", she cheekily replied.

"Hey and proud to be one", Hotch added.

The town he lived all those years ago had been a great place to grow up. Even with the family he had to live in that town with. But you can't pick out your family, you have to do with what you have. Given the circumstances he'd had an okay childhood.

"What about you? What places have you lived in?" Hotch knew Emily had called many places her 'home' for short periods of time through her youth. She'd told very little about it in the three years she'd been with the team. He knew it couldn't have been easy. But he was curious and before his mind could even register he asked the question, his mouth had already formed the words.

So far for not pushing her into talking about sensitive matters..

Surprising him again she answered without hesitating for even a second.

"Oh I've lived in tons of places, bus you know that already. Let's see.." her hands moved to rest on her upper thighs.

"Yemen. We lived just outside of Sana'a there. I remember it being very hot and that I had to wear a headscarf when we went out. Oh how I hated that thing, but my mom insisted on wearing one. I respect of the culture and also as a form of self-protection. We were different already and being female it wasn't safe not to wear one outside".

She paused for a moment. Rubbing her hands together to warm them. How cold she felt now was the total opposite of her time in Yemen.

"How glad I was when we left after five months of living there. I think I was eight when we moved to England after that".

Hotch felt humbled how open she was with him at the moment. Telling him all this. He hadn't expected her to open up so sudden. It was interesting and entertaining to listen to her stories. Even though he knew she left the darker details away.

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She had no idea how long they'd been talking. It was Hotch who suddenly commented on how it had stopped snowing. She looked outside to see it he was right. Checking her watch she saw it was 10.30pm already. Wow, they had been talking for over an hour.

Hotch moved to open the door on his side. "I'm going to check outside to see how much snow has fallen. Try to get us going again".

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_AN2: Sana'a is the capital of Yemen, for those of you who might be wondering_.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: So here's the final chapter.__ Thank you for those who have reviewed and thanks Amalleigh for the information you gave me on those countries!_

_I´ve had some trouble writing (or doing anything else that involved typing and computers) this week. My life is a bit hectic at the moment. When 'rest' will be restored I hope to have more spare time and to get on with the fics that are waiting for an update! Anyways enough of me for now, hope you enjoy this and it would truly be the highlight of my week to read your reviews._

_**Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Criminal Minds in any way. Merely borrowing the characters for enjoyment.**_

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Pushing the door open he set a foot outside. He was in to his ankles and took a couple of steps away from the car. The snow was pretty deep, but he figured it would be okay to slowly continue their drive again. At least to get them to the first motel they could find nearby. Their hotel certainly was still little under an hour away when driving at normal speed. They probably wouldn´t get there before midnight with the condition the road was in now.

Hotch turned around to walk the short distance back to the car, when suddenly something hit him in the shoulder.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, looking back at the grinning face of Emily. Well.. at least she was laughing again. He was glad that her mood had apparently gotten lighter, but he certainly wouldn't let her get away with it.

"Don't think you can throw a snowball at your superior without having to pay for it later, Prentiss!"

Oh yeah it was time for revenge alright! He kneeled to grab some snow and went for her. Kneading the snow into a ball he threw one towards her. Emily tried to hide behind the car, the snowball flying right past her head.

More snow was flying through the air. Emily waited for more to come, guarded with another snowball already in her hand. When no more snow came, she looked back to where Hotch had been standing before. Only to see he wasn't there anymore.

Looking around she saw Hotch nearing her fast and went to start running in the direction opposite to where he was coming from. Running through the thick snow getting further and further away from the car. All the way laughing hard. Peering over her shoulder through the dark she noticed the snow was slowing her down. Which gave Hotch a slight advantage in his pursue.

Laughing and panting she felt him grab hold of her and they stumbled to the ground. They fell a little rougher than he intended, but both weren´t bothered by the impact. Having fallen in soft snow.

His hand started to shove snow on her face. Some of the coldness went down her neck and into her shirt.

"Stop, stop, please stop", Emily replied laughing breathlessly, spluttering against his hands and the snow that came along with them.

Aaron ignored her pleas purposely and continued his 'tortures' action.

"Say you're sorry". He had her pinned down beneath him, firmly keeping her in place.

"Never", she giggled. Cold puffs of air were leaving her mouth.

"Alright then", and he put one hand of snow near the bottom of her jacket, right onto some exposed skin he found there. From experience Hotch knew abdomen were a very sensitive part of the body. The few times he went to a beach in his life reminded him of that. Walking into the ocean the impact of the cold water had always hit him the most when he got in stomach deep.

So yeah, he wanted to shock her by placing the cold snow there. And he enjoyed having fun with her playing around like this. It was nice to truly laugh again.

Emily's giggling ended in a gasp when she felt the coldness on her stomach. The sound causing the air around the two agents to shift and the comedy of the situation had disappeared abruptly. Neither had seen it coming. It was not only Emily who'd been shocked by Hotch's actions. Hotch was as well, shocked of the sudden change between them. Looking down at Emily, Hotch stilled his hands on top of her jacket.

Emily looked him in the eyes, her gaze shifting between both his dark pools. As if not to decide whether which one was looking back at her. Of course both his eyes clearly saw her lying beneath him. Snowflakes tangled in her hair and her eyes held a bright light in them. He saw her cheeks held a slight blush through the dark. If it would have been lighter outside he knew they'd be colored in a faint shade of pink from the cold.

Them both lying there let his body suddenly become very aware of her beauty. He'd always thought she was a beautiful woman, but never had he let himself get caught in it. He'd never let it distract him and always kept his reactions to her purely professional. Up till now had he never dared to move past that professional boundary he'd set for the both of them. Not knowing what would happen if they'd let their contact shift.

He moved one of his hands to brush a lonely strand off her forehead and after that his head started descending on its own accord.

Their lips almost touching, he looked from her lips to her eyes, silently asking for permission to give in. Emily hesitated at first, thinking about how wrong it would actually be to share a kiss with Aaron Hotchner. She wanted to close her eyes but couldn't and looked past his head to the dark sky instead. When she shifted her gaze at Aaron again, all thoughts seemed to vanish from her mind. All there was were him, her and a pure whiteness around them. The rest of the world didn't exist. No FBI or BAU, no near accident, no case, no drama, no thoughts, no worries. The only thing her mind really seemed to register was the dark, handsome man on top of her. Feeling his hands on her cheek, she moved hers to his sides. Her hands touching the damp material of his coat.

Hotch moved down a little more so their lips were touching. Caressing her face in the process, he felt Emily opening her mouth slightly. The kiss grew from soft to passionate in seconds. Hands were caressing and tongues were exploring new territory. They were both left breathless when they broke apart for air.

Hotch rested his head on her right shoulder. Feeling her breathe. He let a small smile touch his features briefly. When he first got in the car with her, he would've never expected something like this to happen eventually. The – almost – crash had left him confused as well. He never believed in angels, but now he was seriously considering thanking the one that had been on his shoulder this evening.

"It was close, wasn't it?" He said, lifting his head again to look at her.

Emily had a smile on her face. Obviously not thinking about their previous situation in the car at the moment. Her smile faded a little.

"What was?"

"The car, the tree, us.."

Of course. Her mind went back to the almost fatal moment in the car. Looking to her left seeing the car and again the tree standing closely next to it. She let out a sigh, placing one of her hands on his shoulder. Squeezing it gently.

"We were lucky." Looking at her hand for a moment, thinking before speaking again. Her voice came out more hesitant than she intended to.

"Can we talk about this later?" She was still laying in the snow and her back was starting to get numb because of the cold. She waved a hand between them. "All of _this_"

He knew what she meant.

He slowly got up and offered Emily his hand. Which she took gratefully. "Did _this_ bother you?"

She grinned at him and shook her head. "No, no not at all".

Together they walked back to the car. Hands locked. Leaving a trail of footprints in the snow.

The whiteness holding a pureness that changes the world temporarily. The magical white blanket's effects wear off slowly as it is destined to melt and let the true colors of life become visible again. But now, for them in this layered moment it had been lifesaving and life changing all at the same time.

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THE END


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